Precarious Puzzles
by Missbooie
Summary: When a well earned holiday abroad goes horribly wrong Ethan and Cal become at the heart of a hostage situation. To be released they simply must solve a series of puzzles. A right answer means one step closer to release, a wrong answer means one more bullet fired. Contains: Ethan Hardy and Caleb Knight (Casualty), Greg Sanders (CSI) and Jane Rizzoli (Book series by Tess Gerritsen)
1. Chapter 1

**Hopefully this will be interactive! At the end of each chapter there shall be a challenge. PM me with your answer and your character's name. Obviously you can search for the answers but that makes it less fun (and is kinda cheating). You have the power to change the storyline- do you accept your challenge?**

'So... Are you going to tell me or am I going to have to beat it out of you?' Cal playfully punched Ethan in the arm.

'What? I don't know what you mean!' Ethan tried to play the naïve idiot but the flushed colour of his cheeks gave him away.

Cal raised an eyebrow 'I'm pretty sure you do. Go on. Spill.' He stared into Ethan's eyes. Ethan squirmed and tried to divert himself from his brother's gaze without success.

'Fine! Her name's Finn. Finlay Trevders. She's a school nurse. She's 28 and lives not that far from us.'

'And...' Cal prompted.

'I think she's great.'

'And...'

'What?'

'Do I have to spell it out for you? Where did you two meet?'

'At the gym.'

'Since when do you go to the gym?!'

'Since when do you ask so many question?'

'Wait- on Saturday at like 8.30 you said you were going out and then didn't get back for a while later- where did you go?'

'A TRX session.'

'A what?'

'An hour of pure torture.'

'So is this your new craze?'

'Not really a craze, dear brother, more like an obligation to my body.'

'Whatever you say, "dear brother".' Cal once again punched Ethan and wandered off to collect his next patient.

'So I hear you're off to paradise?'

'Excuse me?'

'America?'

'Oh right yeah. Caleb and I are off on a little holiday.'

'Little? I heard you'd taken three weeks off!'

'Yeah... Hey haven't you got anything better to do Robyn?'

'Nope!'

'Robyn, assistance in cubical four please!' Tess called from the cubical, as if on cue. Robyn groaned and pulled herself away from where she was standing with Ethan. Ethan was relieved that she was finally gone, yes three weeks was a long time to be away, especially with his brother but he had earned it. The trip was scheduled before Christmas but the trash meant that they had had to reschedule their plans. Ethan had kept his days off few and far between, he had also made sure that Cal had kept his days off to a minimum. They wanted a break. They needed a break.

Ethan sighed as he drew himself away from his thoughts.

'Mr Dewen please.' Soon the old man was by his side being led to a cubicle, the first of many that slipped by without a second thought.

'Ready?'

'Yes. Finally.'

'Thank you!' Cal had been waiting in the staffroom for nearly an hour after their shift had ended because of Ethan's troublesome patient. He was desperate to get home and finish his packing, or even start it. The flight wasn't until 3 am the following morning so he had plenty of time to stuff his belongings into a bag.

'Please tell me you didn't leave it all to the last minute to pack.'

'Well I would, but that would mean lying to you.'

Cal pulled into the driveway and climbed out of the car, grabbing their bags from the backseat.

'You pack- I'll cook.'

'Deal.'

Cal ran up the stairs while Ethan made his way into the kitchen to start dinner. Dinner was quick and simple but delicious. Within minutes of sitting down they had already finished. Only then did they realise quite how hungry they had been.

'So- are you ready yet?'

'Yup.'

'Alarm set?'

'What do you think?' Ethan rolled his eyes 'I'll set it in the morning'

'Sure... I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning.'

'Morning?! What is this strange concept?'

'Ha. Ha. Seriously. I'm going to sleep. Goodnight Cal.'

'Night Ethan.'

Cal listened as Ethan walked around upstairs, he heard him opening draws, flushing the toilet and brushing his teeth. He waited until it had quietened upstairs before he made his own way upstairs. He got ready for bed before setting his alarm and sinking into the duvet.

The alarm blared its song. Cal rolled over to hit the snooze button but couldn't find the alarm clock.

'Morning Caleb.'

Cal swore.

'What the hell was that for?'

'Just trying to get you up.' Ethan smiled sweetly.

'Yeah? Well you scared the life out of me!'

'Come on. We need to check in in two hours. We need to leave in an hour. You need to get up.'

Obediently Cal got out of bed and rooted around in his draw for some clothes.

'You can go now.' And Ethan left.

The airport was bustling, despite the time. Cal slept the entire journey there but Ethan was restless. He was desperate to start his holiday, to feel the warm sun on his face. The boys stepped out of the airport and began making their way towards the shuttle bus, which would take them to their rental car company. They stepped off the bus into the sweltering heat and started to walk towards a modern looking building, surrounded by cars, glimmering in the sunlight.

Ethan felt something pressed against his mouth and nose, he felt the warm breath down his neck and he watched as the world blurred before his eyes.

Ethan was trapped. His wrists were bound to something cold and solid. He squirmed and tried to free himself.

'Don't bother. I've been trying for ages and still no luck.' An American accent cut through the air.

The voice made Ethan freeze. He was slowly becoming aware of his surroundings. He took in the large metal box, the two vents in the ceiling, the shirtless man sat opposite him.

'Who are you?'

'CSI Greg Sanders, with the Las Vagas Police Department in the Crime Lab:'

'And why aren't you wearing a shirt?'

'They strip you of anything that identifies who you are.' Ethan looked confused, prompting Greg to continue. 'I was on my way to a crime scene from my lab, I was wearing uniform- my t-shirt and vest identify me as LVPD, CSI, forensics and Sanders. So, they've left me shirtless.'

'Right. Why hasn't Cal woken up and who's the woman?' Ethan nodded to where a young woman with long, frizzy black hair lay, curled up in a ball.

'It's the effects of the gas. He'll wake up soon. And that-' he nodded to where she lay 'is someone who will want to introduce herself. Trust me. Anyway- you never said who you were.'

'Oh right- sorry. I'm Dr Ethan Hardy, Registrar at Holby City Hospital in the Emergency Department. That's my brother. Dr Caleb Knight. We also work together.'

'You're British aren't you?'

'Yeah. Came over here for a relaxing holiday. So far it's going great!'

Slowly Cal sat up, followed by the woman.

'So Cal. We're stuck here, it seems.'

'Where is here?'

'Good question.' Greg answered.

An uncomfortable silence began to settle in the room. Eventually the woman spoke.

'I have no idea who you two are but I'm Detective Jane Rizzoli, Boston Police, Homicide.'

'Dr Caleb Knight and Dr Ethan Hardy. Holby Emergency Department.'

'England?'

'Yep.'

A loud voice boomed over the speaker system inside the room.

'Welcome. We're going to play a little game. It's simple really. You are asked a question. You answer the question. You are provided with food, water and a first aid kit. You sleep. And then it repeats. Simple. Oh, but every wrong answer means one more bullet fired- either into you or into someone you love. Good luck.'

'Well. That sounds fun.' Three faces turned and stared into Greg's. Clearly the sarcasm wasn't appreciated in this situation.

Gas began seeping into the room, hissing through the vents in the ceiling.

Ethan woke up alone in another room. The voice boomed over the speaker system.

'Question one is an easy one. Good luck: **If a bat and a ball together cost £1.10, and the bat costs exactly £1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?** '


	2. Chapter 2

Ethan sat in his new room. A box identical to the first but smaller. The question was repeated over the speaker system: 'If a bat and a ball together cost £1.10, and the bat costs exactly £1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?' A pause. 'Please speak your answer loudly and clearly before the timer runs out. If you have not answered before this point you automatically fail.'

A timer was projected onto the screen in front of him. Ethan took a deep breath.

'5p.'

The room filled with gas and Ethan once again found himself falling under its influence.

Greg slowly came round in a room larger than the first. Jane lay next to him, Ethan and Caleb near each other. He pulled himself up into a sitting position and gazed around his room. In the centre of the room were four plates of hot, steaming food, four large bottles of water, four blankets and a giant first aid kit. He mulled over his findings in his mind- these people had kidnapped them, gassed them and questioned them. So why were they also feeding them? Why were they being looked after? Throughout every case he had cracked over his many years as a CSI no one ever acted this kindly to their captives. Jane was the next to wake, then Caleb and finally Ethan. Moments after Ethan had come to his senses the voice boomed over the tannoy.

'In front of you you shall find, medical supplies, food, water and blankets. You have access to the toilets on your right.' The prisoners looked to their right where a door was camouflaged against the rest of the cell walls. 'Eat your food. In approximately two hours you shall fall asleep and the waste shall be removed and replaced with pillows, sleeping bags and more blankets.'

Hungrily the four shuffled towards their food and tucked in. The food was surprisingly nice. Once they had finished their meals they sat back, wrapped in the blankets, still trying to understand their situation.

'Do we have anything in common at all?' Greg was the first to ask.

'I don't think so. Where were you born?' Jane took charge.

'Both Ethan and I were born in Holby in England.'

'I was born in San Gabriel in Calafonia.'

'Boston. So we weren't even born in the same country. What about birthday?'

'July 24th 1975.' Greg answered.

'4th January 1981.' Caleb answered.

'31st July 1982.' Ethan answered.

'Well I was born 29th June 1976. So we aren't the same age or even a run of ages.'

'But maybe that's the point. That we're all mixed up. Maybe it's supposed to be random.' Both Jane and Greg flinched at the word.

'What?' Ethan asked, having seen the reaction of their cell mates to his brothers question.

'What?' Greg countered.

'You flinched.'

'What? No I didn't.'

'Yes you did. Cal said random. You flinched.'

'Fine.' Jane interrupted. 'Nothing is random- not in our field of work. Everything has a reason and an explanation. We find it- no matter how long it takes us. If we say _random_ to the press it creates panic. Panic leads to mayhem. Mayhem leads to opportunity. Opportunity leads to death.'

Silence.

The silence was broken by the hissing of gas into the room, knocking them all out within seconds. They came too to find their plates cleared away and replaced by sleeping bags and pillows. There was also a plain black t-shirt next to the first aid kit.

'That's probably for me then.' Greg stood up and walked into the centre of the room where he picked up the t-shirt and slipped it over his head. It fitted perfectly. 'I'm not sure exactly how I feel about these people knowing my shirt size.' He tried to make light of the situation but it was obvious that he, along with everyone else, was terrified.

It was a bad night for everyone. Ethan and Cal were jet lagged and everyone was disorientated. In front of them now was breakfast, notepads, pens and a change of clothes.

'Good morning.' The voice boomed over the tannoy. 'In front of you you have your breakfast, notepads, pens and fresh clothes. Make the most of them. On your right you will see a door. Behind that door there is a bathroom. Please use as and when required.'

Obediently they ate their breakfasts and slowly moved individually to the bathroom where they washed and changed into the clothes that were provided to them. Grey jogging bottoms and a black t-shirt.

'This isn't random.' Jane had been the final one to get changed. She sat down heavily between Greg and Ethan.

'How can you tell?'

'The clothes all fit us perfectly- correct?'

'Yeah.'

'In order to know all our favourite foods and all of our clothing sizes they must have been following us for quite some time. Therefore it cannot be random. Something must connect us so that we are all together.'

'What if-' The gas hissed into the room- cutting Cal's sentence short.

Jane found herself in the same box as before.

The voice spoke once again,

 **'What demands an answer but asks no question?'**


	3. Chapter 3

Jane could only watch as the seconds ticked down in front of her. She had no idea of the answer. Demands an answer but asks no question... A phone! She had three seconds left.

'A phone!'

The clock stopped. The gas seeped into the room. She had grown fond of the gas- although debilitating it brought with it a calmness- every time she fell under the gas' ability it brought her closer to leaving, after all, there were only so many questions she could be asked before she could hold her daughter close, feel her soft skin against her own.

Jane was right- the gas had brought her back to the big room. When she woke she was surprised to see Greg and Ethan already awake. Ethan was nervously pacing the room, Greg easily strode beside the shortener man, trying not to calm him. Jane allowed her eyes to shift back into focus and let her ears adjust to her surroundings before standing and walking over to join them.

'He should be here by now!'

'Ethan- calm down. I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation.'

'They said that every wrong answer meant another bullet fired. What if he got it wrong?!'

The tannoy spoke again, 'Sit down.'

Ethan continued pacing but Greg and Jane obediently followed the instruction.

'You should probably sit down too mate.'

Eventually Ethan sat down by Jane and Greg, only now did they realise that no food had been left, there were no clothes, no blankets and no first aid kit.

Jane slowly came around following the gas. She was painfully aware of the sobbing that came from the other side of the room, it never stopped- only occasionally punctuated by a stray scream. Eventually she found the source of the screams. Caleb. Ethan was working on his brother. The first aid kit was laid out in front of him as he sat in silence cleaning and bandaging his brother's leg. Greg was the only one to notice Jane's presence.

'Single gunshot wound to right lower leg. Only a graze but still a deep laceration.'

His voice was official and lacked emotion- clearly Ethan wasn't the only one trying to distance himself from the situation.

With no way of measuring time Jane had no idea quite how long it took for Cal to calm down. To her it felt like an eternity. Now Cal sat with his heavily bandaged leg propped up against the wall, covered in blankets, moving his food around on his plate.

'What happened?' Greg broke the silence. He spoke the words that were on all of their lips. What _had_ happened? Why had he been shot? Who was he shot by?

'I was wrong.' Cal's voice was barely audible.

'What?'

'I got the answer wrong. They gave me a choice. Either have myself shot or have someone I love shot. They had pictures of everyone Ethan! Everyone!' Cal had been speaking faster and faster until, now, his words were tumbling out uncontrollably.

'What do you mean by everyone Caleb?' Jane spoke softly, as if the grown man was a third of his age.

'Everyone I know. Everyone I love. Everyone I work with. Everyone I'm related to.'

The words echoed through the silent room. Everyone.

The evening, or what they presumed to be the evening, dragged on for an eternity. Eventually the gas hissed into the room, this time the unconsciousness it brought with it was received gratefully by all. Awaking to the familiar sight of sleeping bags and blankets was oddly comforting, as was the next awakening to food and clean clothes. It was becoming routine. Scarily Jane could barely remember anything else...

Greg found himself in the question box again. He had started naming the containers so it was easier for him to order in his brain; to work out connections; to find a way home.

 **'How far can a rabbit run into the woods?'**


	4. Chapter 4

Easy. Maybe these questions weren't as hard as he had first thought or maybe he was finally getting the hang of things.

'Look Greg. Mate. I know that you're trying to be optimistic but take a look around. We've been here ages. It hasn't changed. Not even a bit. No one's found us.' Cal sat with his back against the wall. He stared into Greg's face. Their gazes locked as Cal spoke.

'And no one probably ever will.' Ethan's voice was much softer than Cal's. He barely whispered his message. He too was sat leaning against a wall but his gaze was fixed on a spot on the floor.

Jane remained silent. Slowly she had been becoming increasingly withdrawn from the men trapped with her. Despite answering all the previous questions correctly she still panicked as she was faced with the next one. Her once feisty attitude had been tamed by her entrapment.

Jane had fallen asleep in the corner of the room. She shivered in her sleep. Silently Greg walked over to the middle of the room and picked up two blankets; he placed one blanket over her body and folded the other before lifting her head onto it. Both Ethan and Cal drifted off to sleep within minutes of each other. They lay side by side, sharing a blanket. Greg watched them all. Their chests steadily rising and falling. Greg settled his gaze on Caleb. Following Ethan's immediate treatment of his bullet wound the kidnappers had taken care of him. During a period of gas induced unconsciousness the leg had been operated on and put into a white plaster cast. Now, the cast was tired and dirty but still doing its job. Greg's thoughts shifted to his job. To everyone at the crime lab. To Sara. Nick. Morgan. They'd find him. The reality of their situation was hitting him. He had no idea how long they had been trapped. They had done over twenty questions so they had probably been trapped at least 20 days. The probability of them being found after that long got closer to zero everyday. Greg tried constantly to change his thoughts but he couldn't. They kept drifting back to the hopelessness of their entrapment. He focused on the fan on the top of the box. Watched it spin around and around and around.

Was it slowing down?

Yes. It was definitely slowing down. The fan never stopped. It was one of the things keeping them alive. Greg heaved himself up off the floor and walked over to where Jane lay. Gently he shook her awake.

'Jane. Jane!' He whispered, so not to disturb the two doctors.

'What?' Jane was still groggy with sleep, her mind foggy.

'The fan's stopping.'

'What?!' Her head instantly cleared. She sat up straight and starred at the ceiling. 'That's not good.'

'Something's wrong.'

'What other than the fact that we've been locked in a box and forced to answer questions for God knows how long?!' Her anger brought power and energy back into her character.

'The blankets. They were delivered early. No sleeping bags were delivered. We weren't gassed and now the fan's stopping.'

'What do you mean we weren't gassed?'

'Well normally we're gassed not long after the delivery of sleeping bags and then we wake up in the morning, or what we think is the morning, to find more stuff. That didn't happen. They missed a gassing.'

'That's not happened before.'

'Something's wrong.'

'Very wrong.'


	5. Chapter 5

'Have you heard from the boys yet?' Robyn busied herself making a mug of tea.

'Nope. They said they'd get in touch when they landed and I kinda figured that they'd put up some photos on Facebook at least.'

'When are they due back?'

'Today.'

'What? Lofty!'

'Their flight is due to land this evening.'

'Multiple RTCs incoming- I'm going to need you both in resus.' Rita interrupted the nurses who put down their beverages and followed her out of the room, completely forgetting their concern for their friends and co-workers, at least temporarily.

The air was becoming warmer and it felt sludgy as Jane sucked it in. Her mind had begun to shut off what felt like centuries ago and now the rest of her organs were threatening to do the same. Someone else's stomach groaned in the distance, echoing through the cavern of her mind, reminding her that she was not alone.

'Why us?!' Finally Greg asked the question everyone was thinking, of all four prisoners he was the only one who appeared to be remaining optimistic or at least connected with his mind.

Ethan dragged himself up off the floor, traipsed across the room, picked up his note pad, finishing on the floor at Greg's side.

'I've been trying to figure it out. They don't want to kill us because we'd definitely be dead by now, they don't want to any information off us because they haven't attempted to torture us,' he glanced at Caleb 'much. They kept us moderately well looked after with food, water, bathroom facilities, clean clothes. Yet we are still prisoners. It appears that nothing connects us- different careers in different countries. Except Cal and I are brothers which implies that there may well be a connection. I think that-' Ethan was cut off by the hissing that they all knew too well. But this was different. There was a smell to this gas and a taste and it sounded higher as it was banished from the pipe.

Through the physical and mental fog all four prisoners heard the message.

'If you thought that was a whole bucket of fun you won't believe what we've got next!' It was a woman, sounding pre-recorded as though she was an advertiser. Then the man.

 **If there is a God, where is he now? If there is good in the world, why not here? And if you are intelligent as you claim to be, you should have left a long time ago. Oh and the answer you are looking for is halfway. After that the rabbit is running out of the woods.** At least they weren't left in suspense.


	6. Chapter 6

I don't understand it!- They were all thinking it, muttering it under their breath

Now all four were in separate cages, barely within touching distance of each other. They were cold and dark with thick steel bars and a rough cement floor. Slowly, their eyes became adjusted to the dimness of their new homes. Shouts of anguish quickly faded away as the four sullenly accepted their fates. They were prisoners, doomed to spend however long their captors decided trapped like animals.

Flood lights filled the darkness as Maura Isles and Barry Frost set out the final arrangements for he charity baseball game. It had been a marathon, traveling the city, playing at all different times of day, raising money for the Jane Rizzoli Memorial Fund. She had been missing nearly 3 months and they had heard nothing- it wasn't like Jane to simply disappear neither was it like a kidnapper to keep a prisoner alive without demanding some kind of random for 48 hours, let alone 84 days. They had given up hope that she would return home after the first month, that they would find her body after the second. A memorial service was set to be held in a week's time, seeing as she was outside the station when she vanished, her car was left there along with faint traces of chloroform but the sample was too small and had been contaminated by pedestrians so was near useless. Now little Regina was growing up motherless and Gabriel Dean was going to grow old a widower. Her mother could barley bring herself to visit the precinct for updates with Jane. Angela was a stronger woman than anyone Barry knew so it shook him to the core every time he had to meet with the broken woman- the experience has changed her, aged her.

A groan found its way out of Jane as she curled up in a ball against the rough ground, scraping her hands against it. The voice had not returned, neither had any supples been dropped off. She had no idea how long it had been since she ate or drank but it felt like a lifetime. This new captivity was a lifetime away from the previous environment. As she remained curled into the foetal position she longed for the steady, predictable routine of the gassings, the regular deliveries of food, water, clothing. Blankets and showers were a luxury, not that they had been seen as such during their last 'adventure', what she would give for the hot soapy bliss of water running over her body, cleansing her from the dirt, grime and sweat that had built up from her time in the cage. As she drifted off into a restless sleep she imagined her home, her family, the smell of her husband, the warmth of her mothers hugs, the laughter of her young daughter, the strength of her brother's playful punches, the taste of a home-cooked meal.

We won't see him ever again. It all seemed so final now. A funeral was a definite end to everything that he had achieved in his life. He disappeared nearly 5 months ago at a crime scene, never to be seen again. Morgan stood at the foot of an empty coffin, wandering if they were doing the right thing, there was no body so he wasn't dead but there was no Greg so he wasn't alive. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she said a final goodbye to her friend and colleague. A man who had devoted himself to his work, to justice and to science. A quick glance around the room revealed a timeline of Greg's career at the crime lab. Old colleagues, old bosses, friends, current colleagues and his family. His parents were the worst. His mother couldn't stop crying and his fathers eyes darted anxiously around the room as though he was searching for his missing son constantly, with the same unsuccessful result as the police with their investigation.

The cold was taking its toll on the captives, Ethan couldn't stop shivering while Greg and Jane were turning an icy shade of blue, only Caleb was sweating as an infection began to set into his leg, a wound that desperately needed cleaning and redressing.

There was the familiar hiss of gas released from some distant pipe system but this had a different taste as it knocked out the captors, peppery and burning as it reached their lungs. They awoke to a bowl of rice on a table on top of a set of scales. It read just 10 grams.

'Hello my dears. Here you will see a bowl of rice. You may eat exactly half of the rice. Any more than that and you risk serious harm. Every gram you eat over the limit means one more burn on your skin. Enjoy.' It was the woman's voice. She sounded posher than the male captor, pronouncing every haunting word with purpose.

The four began eating their meal, at first slowly but then faster until they had all eaten all the rice. The food, although little, felt incredible. The rice was over cooked, had no seasoning and was lukewarm but it was food, it was edible and it was theirs.

A tutting sound emerged around them.

'I said half.' The gas followed the voice and for what felt like the millionth time that day terrifying horror filled Greg's mind.

Greg awoke in a sterile white room with his hands and feet tied down to a table. He attempted to raise his head only to find that that too was attached to the table. His left foot felt cold compared to his left, stretching his feet inwards he willed then to rub against each other. They did. Just. One definitely had no sock on but he couldn't remember if it had always been that way. The other had a sock on but that might not have been there, not always. The overwhelming confusion of his bare foot was distracting him from the bigger picture- why he was attached to a table in a white room with no doors and no windows. He hadn't noticed the figure in the corner, dressed head to toe in a white plastic suit so that not even the individuals eyes were visible. He watched as the figure summonsed a red hot poker stick and began approaching Greg. He had eaten all the rice. 5 grams over the limit. The poker collided with his skin 5 times on his foot in a straight line, barely 2 cm between them. He screamed as the poker branded him, permanently damaging his body, soon the pain overwhelmed him and he fell unconscious.

He came round to the surroundings that were quickly becoming familiar to him, the cage. His foot was still burning and shouting at him in pain, he ignored it and glanced around at the others. Caleb's wound appeared to have been redressed but he too looked pained, no doubt by the burns on his foot. Ethan was curled into a ball, sobbing in pain while Jane just sat and stared absently out of the bars of the cage into the nothingness.

Another round of 10g of rice arrived the following day with the same message, but this time it had a stronger meaning- they knew exactly what would happen if they didn't obey. It took all their will power but all four managed to just eat 5g of the rice. The threat of another branding was enough to turn the captives away from their food for good.


	7. Chapter 7

Ethan stared out through the bars of his cage at Jane. His first impression of her was that she was smart, fiery, bold and strong yet now she looked broken, as though only a tiny spark was left of what once was an uncontrollable fire cracker. Her unruly black hair was now past her waist, occasionally she would plait it down her back with her final hair band which caused her to look younger than ever imaginable. His eyes flicked to the next cage, Greg. He had been here the longest. His hair was nearly at his shoulders, landing in rough curls, his face was covered in a thick layer of stubble, the beginnings of what was beginning to look like a beard. He looked tired with his eyes starting to sink into his face, dark indigo rings around them. Finally his gaze turned to Caleb. He looked the worst. His face was covered in a thin, patchy layer of stubble. A wonderful family trait meaning that neither man could grow any facial hair. He seemed the order, tiredest, most drained and easily the worst off. All four of them had bruised knees and cut feet from the rough floor, matching brands on their feet from their captors and a sense of overwhelming doom that overwhelmed everything they felt, saw or did.

The hope of being found disappeared long ago, just before the hope of a successful escape. They knew nothing that could help them escape- they didn't know where they were, who they were being kept by, why they were being kept, how long they were going to be kept for or what their captors wanted with them. Greg wanted the group to recollect their thoughts so they could identify a common link but it was hopeless- no one had enough energy to think of anything other than food, home and sleep. Every rest was full of disrupted dreams, terrible nightmares and uncontrollable fear.

"Today a memorial service will be held for the two missing doctors from Holby City Hospital. Brothers Dr Ethan Hardy and Dr Caleb Knight, who both work in the emergency department, went missing upon their arrival at JFK Airport around six months ago. Police were contacted after the pair failed to return to work following their trip, it was later discovered that they did not catch their flight home or even check into their hotel on arrival. The public are still being asked to immediately inform the police if they have any information about the brothers' whereabouts." Robyn flicked off the television screen and sobbed. They were missed greatly around the hospital. Although two doctors had been brought in as their replacements the team were always hoping, praying, that one morning they would walk through the doors as they used to, laughing and bickering with one another. The only thing that brought comfort to her was that, wherever they were, they were together.

Ethan shivered as he lay in his cage. He was wandering how long it would take for him to die now. Between the lack of sleep, the torture and the tiny amount of food he was permitted to consume he couldn't have long left. Although he was short enough to stand in his cage he simply didn't have the strength to move his body from where it lay. Today's rice arrived with the same message but there was double the amount. 20g. Of course, they could only eat half of it. Ethan's eyes were fluttering as he glanced at the other three, hungrily digging into their food. Ethan didn't touch his. Instead he allowed his eyes to flicker shut as he stumbled into unconsciousness.

Frankly he didn't care if he ever woke up.


	8. Chapter 8

Three white suits came to take away Ethan just after Greg, Cal and Jane noticed that he hadn't touched his food. They couldn't make out whether he was alive, let alone where they were taking him. Little care was taken with Ethan's body. It was roughly picked up and carried like a rag doll between two suits while the third opened and closed the cage. Only Greg followed the suits to where they disappeared into a hole in the ground having followed round twists and turns of darkness that surrounded them.

Ethan never returned. Caleb was the next to fall asleep, only 4 feeds after his bother. Again he was removed by three suits and wasn't seen again. A few times the remaining captors slipped over their allowance of rice, and they were punished severely for it. By now both Jane and Greg were so weak that they could barely shovel their food into their mouths.

The hiss of gas that sent them spiralling into darkness came as a relief. Having been in so much pain for so long it was an escape from the horror. From the torturous behaviour that there was no recovery.

Greg and Jane were sat in cages hanging from the roof. The cages were barely wide enough to lie in and were only 3 feet high, at the top of the cage sat a speaker and outside the cage hung a tap-like object.

A voice whispered through the speaker. A child.

"I want to play a game. Will you play with me? I want to play a game with you."

Giggling. So young and innocent that a shiver ran down Jane's spine. No child should be exposed to the level of inhumane torture that they were experiencing.

"I want to play a game. A lift is on the ground floor. There are four people in the lift, including me. When the lift reaches the 1st floor, 1 person gets out and three get in. The lift then stops at the 2nd floor, 3 people get out (but I am not one of them) and six get in. The lift continues up to the 3rd floor where no one gets out but 12 people get in. Suddenly the lift cable snaps causing the lift to plummet to the floor. Everyone onboard dies. How did I survive? Please play with me!"

Jane lay in her cage trying to make sense of the puzzle but her mind was clouded by pain, exhaustion, desperation and frustration.

Greg had been asked the same question and he too lay in his cage, but unlike Jane his mind was clear. Yet he couldn't recall how to form the words and make the captor understand him. He opened his mouth to speak and choked on the words, an unintelligible groan escaping from his lips.


	9. Chapter 9

"Wrong!" The little girl's voice returned to the speaker system. "I got out on the first floor! Now you know what happens... You'll pay for your mistake."

The taps outside the cages were turned on. Blasting freezing cold pressurised water at the captors. It cut through their skin like razor blades, screaming as it flew past and sending the cages swinging violently from side to side, throwing around its occupant.

Greg opened his mouth to scream out in agony but found his mouth rapidly filling with water, he coughed, spluttered and choked before hitting his head off the top of the cage in an attempt to become vertical. The impact of the collision had knocked him out cold but the icy blast continued.

The water trickled to a stop and Jane breathed a sigh of relief. She rolled over to see if she could spot Greg in his cage, instead she saw the three suits pulling down his cage, then dragging out the dripping sack of bones that she assumed was Greg.

At the sight of her final remaining captor being removed, Jane broke down into floods of tears. She mourned her fellow captors, the loss of her family, her friends and what soon would be the end of her own life.

Jane lay back and shut her eyes, awaiting the arrival of the white suits.


	10. Chapter 10

_"Breaking news now. Four figured have been spotted in a field in Miami. They are believed to be some individuals who have been missing for a number of months now. More on this story as it develops."_ The TV was on in the break room but no one was there to watch it. Robyn, Lofty and Charlie had gone to America in response to an email they received. The email demanded that they travelled to Miami and were at a set of GPS coordinates by 8 am, if they wanted to see their friends again.

The same email had been received by Gabriel, Maura and Barry, who travelled from Boston and Morgan, Sara and Nick who travelled from Vagas.

For the first time the 9 met one another, united in their grief. It had been well over a year since they had lost their loved ones. Goodbyes had been said but those lost were all but forgotten. At the GPS coordinates sat an envelope with another set of coordinates.

As though on a scavenger hunt, they set of in search of their treasure. The new coordinates were only an hour away from where they had been sent. The journey was silent.

Jane, Greg, Caleb and Ethan lay in a circle, their ankles and wrist handcuffed to the person lying next to them, all connected- both physically and emotionally. A large rectangular box was sat where their feet met, with each of them having their left leg propped up by the box. Jane wore a medal around her neck- blue red and white striped lanyard and then a gold plastic medallion engraved with 'WINNER', after all she was the champion.

Though they had aged and their hair had grown, the captors were easily identifiable. The 9 rushed towards their companions. Ambulances were called and tears were shed over the bodies. Robyn stroked Ethan's forehead, he looked so still, frozen almost. She then left out a ear piercing scream as he groaned. They all did. All four began to come round, groaning and moaning as they awoke.

It was Ethan who moved his leg off the box first. He triggered an explosion that threw the captors up into the air and forced their loved ones backwards. Boom.


	11. Chapter 11

All the captors lost their legs in the blast, they were blown off by the impact. The wrist handcuffs were removed and the mangled bodies of the captors were loaded into ambulances. Caleb died first. Coded in the ambulance. Massive inter-cranial bleed and a severed spinal cord. Then Ethan. Died in the operating theatre as the attempted to repair his shredded organs. Then Jane. Died in post-op due to excessive blood loss due to internal damage. And finally Greg. Died in intensive care the day after the explosion. Having developed a pulmonary embolism from his double amputation, and having gained irreversible brain damage.

Their family and friends were injured in the blast- broken bones, concussions, lacerations and shrapnel damage- only adding to the pain of losing their loved one all over again.

Funerals were held and the bodies were finally laid to rest. Not a single soul spoke of the events again. The White suits remained faceless and nameless and were never put to the justice system. After time the specifics were forgotten, but they were never really known. The true extent of the torture would remain unknown for the rest of time, secrets taken to the grave. But the victims- they were not forgotten. It was hard to when their explosive return hit international news and remained their for months after they had been buried.


End file.
